Rise of Rurik

If there is no threat of war, the only settlement on the island of Öland, Boryholm, the people who live here will surely enjoy peace for a long time.

However, some fishing boats that suddenly visited on calm days reported something incredible and unbelievable to people working offshore.

No one really believed that these terrified Port Voskas, the so-called "army from the north" was real.

But they were really terrified, and were turned by the fishermen into the interior of the wooden fort in Boryholm, until they were turned to their leader.

In a huge herringbone-shaped wooden house, a man dressed in a black bear's skin was sitting at the front.

He was young and strong, holding the hilt of a sword, and his loose blond hair was covered by a beautifully carved bronze headband. Sitting on a finely carved wooden chair, he surveyed a crowd of kneeling refugees.

This person is the leader of Boliholm - Stein Saxon.

"You are all Gotlanders, how could you come to my territory? The army of the north, who would believe such a strange thing?"

The panicked Voskas refugees basically rowed all night. From their homeland to Boryholm, the sailing distance was at least 60 kilometers, and the distance between the two places was not far.

The fishermen of Voskas, who were in good spirits, put on a horrified face: "It is true! They are not our Gotlanders, nor are they brothers from Gotaland. Everyone believes that those people are from the north. , those thugs in Svealan, they destroyed our home! Everyone died, only we escaped."

Stein narrowed his eyes, and his brothers felt even more that these people were a bunch of liars.

"What you say is incredible. Didn't Hafgen in Denmark defeat the Svealans?"

"Chief..." The fisherman suddenly changed his mind and said immediately; "We are not lunatics, why did we flee to you to deceive? Could it be that the leader has forgotten the dangerous Franks? Do you really think that Bo Is Riholm your safe place forever?"

"You! Shut up!" Stein's brother stepped forward, drawing out an iron sword that almost stabbed and killed the fishermen. This act shocked the fishermen to retreat subconsciously.

The stubborn fisherman was still in shock. He noticed a strange movement of the leader's emotions, and deliberately shouted: "Leader, see that we are also involved in trade on weekdays, we ask you to take it in. Voskas is over, the enemy of the north. The next step is you! If you prepare early, you will definitely defeat the enemy. If you still think I am a liar,

Just give us some dried fish and we will take refuge in Kalmar. "

Hearing these words, Stein and his brothers had to talk about it. Looking at their embarrassed appearance, it seems that they have indeed suffered a disaster, but their words are too bizarre, and it is easier to completely trust them.

The brothers need the leader's choice, and now, it is up to Stein Saxon to make an important decision.

He quickly made his own decision, and that was to be on guard!

Maybe it's just the words of a group of refugees, as the leader of the tribe should not be taken lightly. However, this tribe had been slaughtered and had terrifying memories that could not be erased for generations. It was reasonable for them to take precautions when they heard the danger.

Just like the name of this leader, he has a surname, which is really an anomaly in the Nordic world.

For half of the 3,000 people who settled in Borgholm were not Gotlanders, nor Götalanders, nor Danes. They also spoke Norse, a slightly strange Norse language indeed.

They came from continental Europe, just south of Jutland from Saxony. In essence, they have the most direct common ancestor with the kingdoms on the island of Britain, but the tribes that developed westward occupied the vacuum of the living space after the ebb of the Rus people, and established one kingdom after another.

The Saxons, who remained in their European homeland, soon began to be attacked by the Christian Frankish army.

A large number of Saxons fled to Jutland, and many people turned into Danes, but they were different from real Danes.

A group of refugee Saxons migrated all the way, and finally settled on the remote island of Öland, living a life of indifference.

Unable to forget the pain of being driven out by the Franks more than a hundred years ago, they built their wooden walls in their new home. I am afraid that only the ring-shaped wall can make them feel safe.

"Saxon", the original meaning is "descendant of the Saxon tribe", the elected leader will always inherit the title of "Saxon".

After decades of operation, Boryholm, originally meant as a "lowland fortress", has swelled to three thousand, with a large number of Gotlanders, Götalanders, and even a small number of Danes settled here. It was also a group of Finns who were caught as slaves from the Suomi region of the "Land of the East".

It's a thriving community that has been running for over fifty years, as the natives swear allegiance to the Danish lords and their peace is guaranteed (Jutland, after all, has many Sakarsen descendants).

Fleeing Voskas fishermen never saw their homes breached, but they saw fires in the harbour illuminate the sky at night. They reported the fall of Fort Worthkas, the enemy had breached the fortress, and the enemy had such capabilities, which made Stein's pressure increase sharply.

The explosion of war spreads throughout the settlement!

The Danes, who were doing business, fled in a hurry with goods and money, and many Gotlanders and Gotalanders also retreated with them. The Danes naturally wanted to escape all the way back to their home in Jutland, and the evacuation targets of the rest were almost directed to Kalmar in the south.

At least 500 more men from Gotland decided to stay, not because they paid attention to loyalty, but because the local leader Stein paid to hire them to fight!

In this way, in almost two days, a team of 1,200 troops was assembled, and they vowed to protect Boryholm, which they depended on for survival, because these Saxons had nowhere to go. Way back.

Stein unsealed the tribe's arsenal, and a large number of iron and bronze short spears were distributed. Coupled with the axes and harpoons widely used in the lives of fishermen, a well-armed infantry appeared.

They don't have much protective armor, and most of the warriors still wear commoner and leather clothes, and use round shields or special square shields to protect most of their bodies.

Their bows and arrows are still short wooden bows for hunting, and their performance is generally poor. But they have some shining points in their armament.

They are Saxons whose ancestors fought with Roman legions. They have spears and square shields, and they also have a little skill in battle. For example, after they form a dense formation, they will put square shields on their heads to prevent the enemy from being hit by random projectiles. Although bows and arrows are extremely ineffective, and spears make up for some disadvantages, they use slings widely, which can be described as a wonderful flower in the Viking world.

Of course, Stein didn't sit still. He sent a group of messengers frantically rowing boats to report to Kalmar, and ordered the messengers to go directly to the lord's longhouse to report the information to Havgen himself, even if the other party suspected it.

The so-called three become tigers, at least the whole Boliholm believes that a huge army is coming on a boat...

So, is Olegin's Swedish army really on the way? ! Of course it is impossible. The Swedish coalition has been overdrawing its combat effectiveness, and they need a critical rest period.

A day's voyage, coupled with the night's battle, the Swedish coalition occupying Voskas, the energy of the warriors of all tribes is fading at a speed visible to the naked eye at the moment after the victory.

Everyone was really tired, even if they caught a lot of women, many soldiers were so tired that they had no interest.

When they got their own wheat and jerky, they hurriedly boiled the wheat in a pottery urn. Even if it was only half-cooked, they ate it whole, and then fell asleep around the bonfire.

The coalition did not want to turn their shelter into a sea of ​​fire. The damage to the local area came to an abrupt end, and no new dwellings were deliberately set on fire.

The entire Voskas turned into a huge military camp, and the soldiers stuffed with wheat and fish slept soundly. They didn't get up one after another until it was almost noon the next day.

The warm eyes shine on the earth, and the warm south wind blows the ruins after the war.

Those women whose lives were spared and their husbands died, they were forced to cook for the coalition soldiers, but they also suffered from flesh and blood.

Only those Voskas women with living husbands, men who fought for Sweden, as Olegin had promised, would have their families safe.

There are wooden houses and broken wooden houses everywhere, from the smoked fish of the Voskas to the agate amber of the Danish merchants of the Big Island, all of which have become the spoils of the coalition. But the Rus didn't get their booty, just because of that contract.

In fact, let Rurik judge, he really despises these worthless spoils, that is, poor allies flock to these guys. Yes, if the Rus people who hide their strength really need it, it is better to directly organize their own coalition to attack Gotland Island. The "local tyrants" on the island must have buried a lot of silver coins everywhere, and they are good at it.

The flames of the burning house were basically extinguished, and the aroma of scorch and barbecue permeated the entire settlement.

Unlike other tribes, the Russ camped in some locations inland of Voskas, they stayed near the sea, as if they had no interest in the whole of Voskas.

I am afraid that only the children of Voskas who were kicked to the Rus by Olekin were treated with kindness in the true sense. Rurik also knew that saying "don't be afraid, I will treat you well" to these children now is all hypocrisy.

What he calls goodness is for them to eat, that's all.

Almost all the soldiers of the Rus army landed. They ate wheat and meat and subconsciously discussed the future battle.

Before accomplishing the King's conquest of Kalmar, it became necessary to take down Boryholm, who was first heard.

No, the king is going to call the dukes to hold a pre-war meeting again.

On a warm afternoon, the warm wind made the well-fed people drowsy. There are indeed a large number of Rus warriors, covering their faces with wooden shields, and taking naps by the sea.

In the tent set up, Otto deliberately asked his son's views on the future war.

In the father-son game, Otto had no distance, and his question was very straightforward: "Boy, in the future battle, do you think we can win quickly?"

"I have no idea."

"Huh? You don't know?" Otto looked surprised, "Didn't God give you some revelation?"

Rurik hesitated for a while. "No. Maybe because this battle didn't belong to us Russ from the beginning."

"From what you mean, it seems very negative."

"Isn't that the case?" Rurik shook his head regretfully. "I've thought about it a lot. Just by attacking this fort, we will die a lot. It is said that in the future war we have to gnaw down two forts. Dad. , We just cooperated with the Melalen army to fight, and now the food belonging to them has been handed over to them, and the cabin of the Avlora will be empty soon. I actually have some doubts."

"What are you wondering about?"

"Do we need to continue to participate? We broke through the wooden wall, but we didn't get any benefit. Even if Olekin promised to compensate us in the future, we still need to replenish a batch of food now, but that guy doesn't want to give..."

"You..." Otto really felt that there was something in his son's words.

"Dad, in my opinion, Olegin doesn't want us to continue to participate. We have completed the task of transporting food. How much does it have to do with us to attack Kalma or other enemies?"

"Hey, even so, you can't retreat." Otto shook his head: "Listen to me, just fight for honor! Rurik, I bet we must participate in future battles. All the tribes participated, if we If we don’t follow the fight, they will call us cowards and traitors, which is not acceptable. We need to prepare well and stop thinking about going home.”

"However, it's not our battle to continue going south." Rurik raised his head, looked at his father with cold eyes, and said slowly: "Dad, Arik still has a thousand soldiers on Tombstone Island. The wheat we provided is not They feed the Novgorod fat pigs for nothing, they are the defensive troops, and they can take the initiative to attack when necessary."

"You?" In an instant, Otto noticed another possibility, so he hurriedly approached his son's little face and asked quietly, "You kid, don't you want to imitate your cousin and go get the Gotland Island for surgery?"

"It's not bad. Without Origen's shackles, we Russ can fight the war we need. Besides, who dares to say that we are not good for crusades against the traitors of the Great Alliance."

"Then you want to evacuate immediately? Boy, I am very happy to go on an expedition to Gotland to avenge your uncle. But we must first witness the coalition taking Kalmar."

"Okay. Seize the opportunity, and we will also organize an army of fifteen hundred people to fight the Gotlanders like the Meralen army."

Inside the tent, Ross's two father and son leaders plotted a new offensive that had nothing to do with Sweden.

At night, Otto was still thinking about the events of the afternoon. In fact, Olekin accepted the surrender of the Voskas, which greatly touched Otto. Because the Rus people have had military hegemony over Novgorod for decades, if a group of local young people are selected for training, they should be able to serve as combatable soldiers.

It can be said that when Otto saw the attack on Fort Worth Cass, the children with wooden crossbows were also able to fight very well. This matter has loosened his inherent prejudice.

Children can wind a crossbow just as well, and the arrows they fire are just as deadly! If the child is like this, are the prime-aged warriors of Novgorod no better than the children of Rus?

King Olekin is planning to put the renegades in the lead in the new battle. Why can't the Russ let the trained Novgorods charge?

Many thoughts in his heart Otto kept silent, he participated in the so-called pre-war meeting, watching King Olekin sing a one-man show.

After all, Olegin was the king, and he made a battle plan in one day.

"Brothers, I learned from my newest mercenary, that Boryholm is really rich, but it's a pity that they have a better wooden wall. To break through there, we will be ready for safety.

I have made some preparations! In future fights, we'll use trees to knock down their wooden doors, followed by Voskas charging in. We Melalonians and you, everyone, just wait at the back. When the Voskas and the Boryholms are exhausted, and everyone is swarming, we won't pay a price to win..."

All the words were spoken by Olegin alone. It sounds like this tactic of making the traitors and the enemy go all out, and picking peaches from the rear of the coalition forces will be a great success.

The tribal losses of the alliance were uneven, and it was undeniable that all sides lost double-digit warriors, especially the most fierce Yermalen people lost nearly fifty brothers. Of course, many people hope that the battle will continue, because the living people have already made a lot of money, and they are eager for more. They just hope that they can safely bring their wealth back to their hometowns and lift their families out of poverty.

They used to be barefoot and not afraid to wear shoes, but now they have some bottles and cans, which are reflected in the faces of many leaders, that is, their attitude towards future battles has become ambiguous.

No one stood up to question the wishful thinking of Olegin's tactics, and no one showed a plan to "let it go", but the Allies did show a hint of negativity.

Olegin did not know that many poor warriors with a small pattern were satisfied with this little wealth. He felt that the momentum of the warriors was still strong, how difficult was it to take Boryholm along with this momentum? What's more, the Dane Francis who surrendered in this battle, he and his guys swore to charge ahead to prove themselves. For the sake of victory and future honor, they will definitely not lie.

No, the King of Sweden has officially set the day for the expedition, that is, after the meeting, each unit will undergo a very crucial daytime repair, especially the production of a batch of battering rams specially designed to "remove walls". The fleet will start a new expedition to Boriholm on the morning of the third day after the meeting.

However, on the night before the expedition, something bad happened...